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Politics
Mike Espy Vows to 'Correct Our Mistakes' in New U.S. Senate Campaign
Democrat Mike Espy has a plan to win in Mississippi, he told the Jackson Free Press Tuesday morning, soon after officially launching his 2020 campaign for U.S. Senate.
Cover
God Save the Governor: Phil Bryant, Brexit Soldier
Republican Phil Bryant is certainly not the first Mississippi governor to support a state's plan to secede from a multi-state union. ... But Bryant seems to be the first to …
National
Hyde-Smith Blocks Gun Checks as School Shooting Unfolds in California
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, an NRA-endorsed Republican, blocked a universal background-checks bill this morning around the same time a teenage gunman in Santa Clarita, Calif., carried out a mass shooting …
Politics
Trump's Tupelo Visit Boosted Dems More Than GOP in Northeast Mississippi, Strategist Says
President Donald Trump's visit to Tupelo earlier this month may have helped Mississippi Democrats more than Republicans in this year's state elections, Chism Strategies, one of the state's top polling …
City & County
It's Official: Dem Shanda Yates Ousts 32-Year Republican in Mississippi House
Shanda Yates, a 38-year-old Jackson-area attorney, has ousted Billy Denny, a top Republican in the Mississippi House of Representatives who first won his seat in 1987—when Yates was just 6 …
Crime
'Extreme' Prison Terms Must Be Focus for New Mississippi Leaders, Reformers Say
Mississippi's incoming class of statewide and legislative leaders should prioritize reducing "extremely" long prison sentences, a national bipartisan criminal-justice reform organizations says.
National
How 'Sister District' Helped Shanda Yates Unseat Longtime Mississippi Republican
Sister District, a California-based group dedicated to helping elect Democrats in state legislatures across the country, helped one Jackson area political newcomer unseat a longtime Republican incumbent.
National
Wicker Defends Trump, Boosting Russian Ploy to Pin 2016 Attacks on Ukraine
Mississippi's senior U.S. senator, Roger Wicker, claimed in an interview on Sunday that he saw no "direct evidence" that President Donald Trump did anything wrong when he pressured Ukraine to …
Cover
A New Dynamic: Shanda Yates’ Surprise Victory
Shanda Yates had never thought about running for office and had a litany of reasons not to pursue the House District 64 seat when she first discussed the idea with …
Politics
Trent Lott Ties, Civil Rights Rulings Plague Trump Judge Pick from Mississippi
An embattled Mississippi judge's nomination to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans faces opposition from civil rights groups that claim he has a poor record on …
Education
Koch-Funded ‘Bill Mill’ ALEC Names Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn National Chairman
When he resumes his leadership at the Legislature in 2020, Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn will also serve as the new national chairman of the American Legislative Exchange …
Politics
White GOP Rep Who Lost to Black Dem Wants Election Overturned
A white woman who lost her Mississippi House of Representatives seat to a black woman challenger is asking the Republican-dominated body to overturn the election results.
Education
Report: Mississippi Charter Schools Improve Grades, Need Changes
Three charter schools in Jackson raised their grades over the past year, a new legislative PEER committee report found. Still, the report recommended changes by the board that oversees charter …
National
Espy: Hyde-Smith Betrays 'Sacred Oath' With Vow to Protect Trump at Trial
Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is failing to uphold her "sacred oath to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law in this country" with her vow to protect President …
Crime
Curtis Flowers Released on Bail from Parchman for First Time Since 1997
Curits Flowers will leave Mississippi's Parchman prison and return home for the first time in more than two decades after Montgomery County Circuit Judge Joseph Loper granted him a $250,000 …
Politics
Medicaid Expansion 'On the Table,' Says Incoming Lt. Gov. Hosemann
The Mississippi Senate could still expand Medicaid access to as many as 300,000 residents who currently have no health-care access, Delbert Hosemann, the State's incoming lieutenant governor, told members of …
National
Entire Affordable Care Act May Be Invalid With Mandate Gone, Court Says
A three-judge panel in New Orleans wants a lower court to decide whether or not the entire Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's signature achievement, should be struck down.
National
'Evict Gangsterism': State Dems Praise Impeachment as GOP Backs Trump
President Donald Trump's "overt gangsterism" made his impeachment necessary, Mississippi Democrat Jacqueline Amos said in a statement the day after only one member of Mississippi's delegation in the U.S. House …
Personhood
Abortion Inches Closer to Supreme Court
Earlier this year, Mississippi House Rep. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, told the Jackson Free Press that part of the goal of bills like the heartbeat bill and the 15-week ban is …
Personhood
Hyde-Smith Bill Targets Medication Abortions with 'SAVE Moms and Babies Act'
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is joining other anti-abortion politicians who are increasingly prioritizing legislative efforts designed to restrict access to federally approved abortion medication.
